Help needed for Nikon D800 and lighting set up for portraits

[GaryMarsh]

Could anyone please give me advice on how to create a basic home lighting set up, I have a Nikon D800 and two Nikon SB700 Speedlight's, I want to know how best to control my flash output from my camera. Is there a flash transmitting device that I can connect to my cameras hot shoe that will control the power of each individual Speedlight so that I can practice using lighting ratios e.g. something like a Pocket Wizard and if so which one would be most compatible to use for my camera. Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards Gary

[Mike Buckley]

Refer to page 303 of your camera manual. It explains how to use your camera's built-in flash to control your speed lights using an infrared beam (not radio). If you come upon situations when firing the built-in flash becomes obtrusive for whatever reason, use this inexpensive device to block the light seen by the human eye while allowing the infrared beam to communicate with your speed lights.

Also refer to information beginning on page 381 for a detailed explanation of the capabilities of your SB700 speed lights when used with your camera.

[GaryMarsh]

Hi Mike
Thank you so much for your reply to my thread, I will have a read of my manual like you said. One other question, would the infra red beam still work if I was to attach my flash units to umbrellas of soft boxes?

[Mike Buckley]

The beam will work in certain situations and not others with umbrellas and soft boxes, depending upon whether the beam becomes blocked by the equipment. At least for your practice with setting up lighting ratios, try using it. In the situations when it doesn't work, you'll need to use radio transmission. Unfortunately, I'm no help with that but you can get lots of help here about it.

I added some more information to my first post probably after you read it, so check that out again.

[GaryMarsh]

Thank you very much for your replies you have been most helpful. I will give it a go and see how I get on, like you said if it doesn't work out with the soft boxes I will have to buy a radio transmitter.
Kind regards
Gary

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Gary,

Good advice from Mike.

I suspect whether the SB-700s will 'see' the IR through the soft box or umbrella will depend upon their construction and positioning relative to the camera and also what else is around them.

The sort that have a silvered layer may well block it if that surface is between the camera and the SB-700, especially if there's no alternate reflective path that might bounce the IR in to the front surface/opening of the soft box/umbrella.

You may also want to play with unconventional mounting angles for the SB-700 so that its IR sensor 'window'* is facing the optimal direction to 'see' the IR.

* do check; but I think this might be the small circular depression on the Left Hand side of casing, not the red window at the front.

Best advice is to play with it, a lot, to explore the limitations.

Good luck,
Dave

[Mike Buckley]

Dave is correct about the description and location of the IR sensor.

Quick Tip: When using the camera's Commander mode, the channel number configured in the camera and the flash units must be the same. I always use channel #3, probably because that was the default setting for reason unknown to me. It's helpful for me to be absolutely certain about whether a particular flash unit is being controlled by the camera's Group A or Group B settings. So, I marked each flash with a piece of tape indicating 3A on one unit and 3B on the other one.

[Manfred M]

Gary - you have already received some excellent advice.

The Nikon CLS (Creative Lighting System) allows one to remotely and independently control off-camera Speedlights (and some third part flashes that use a compatible system) from your camera. The most common way to do so is with the pop-up flash on your camera. This is built into your system and is a really great place to start. As others have said, there needs to be a "line of sight" so that the flash on your camera can be picked up by the sensors of the Speedlights.

Obviously you will also need to hold the flash somewhere, so some kind of holder, like a light stand and an adjustable flash mount. There are all kinds of options on light stands, from some very inexpensive ones to some fairly heavy duty and more expensive ones with features like air cushioning and booms. If you are starting out, a fairly inexpensive one would probably do; just make sure it extends high enough for your shooting needs.

One issue with small flash is that the light source is that it (for most uses) is a small light source, when compared to the size of the subject. This means that the light it produces is hard and contrasty, which is the exact opposite of what we are generally looking for in a light source. Soft and diffuse light generally results in superior images. This is why we use light modifiers.

Others have already mentioned umbrellas and softboxes. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but when it comes to the relatively low powered speedlights, umbrellas are usually the best way to go. Softboxes use diffusers and internal baffles to create a large light source, so a lot of light is lost. This generally means that softboxes made for small flash tend to be small; so while this creates a larger light source, it is still relatively small for many subjects. A general rule I learned a long time ago is that the light modifier should be no further away from the subject than about twice its diagonal (for a rectangular light modifier) or twice its diameter for a round one.

One thing to not forget is that a flash sitting on a light stand with a light modifier on it can be unstable, especially when shooting outdoors. I use sandbags to stabilize my light stands.

This is where umbrellas work well. They don't absorb nearly as much light as a softbox, so tent to be a more appropriate light source for speedlights. They come in two designs; a shoot through, where the umbrella is a diffuse material and the speedlight is mounted so it is pointed at the subject. The second type is the reflective type, where the speedlight is pointed into the umbrella and the light is reflected back at the subject. These come in different finishes; white, silver and gold. The white ones give a nice soft and diffuse light and work well with most subjects. The silver ones give a harder, more edgy light and work well for men. The gold ones produce a warm light and work well if this is the type of light you want. There are some convertible umbrellas that can be used as either a shoot through or a reflector; these will be available in white only. Umbrellas come in various diameters, depending on the size of your subject.

Radio triggers are my preferred way of shooting and there are many options. The problem with these triggers is that they are proprietary in nature and will only work with triggers made by the same manufacturer. The triggers range from "dumb" triggers that do nothing other than fire off the flashes to more sophisticated ones that allow you to remotely adjust flash output from a device mounted to your camera. Some of these even support high speed synch.

I personally use PocketWizards. The miniTT1 and FlexTT5 come in both Nikon and Canon versions, and when used in conjunction with the AC7 Zone Controller I can control up to three independent flash channels from my camera. The miniTT1 is a transmitter and the FlexTT5 are transceivers (transmitter or receiver). I use these with my Nikon Speedlights and can also use them with my Paul C Buff Einstein 640 studio lights via the Pocket Wizard PowerMC2 controllers. The reason I went with the PocketWizards is that they are as close to a "universal" control as there is, but they are an expensive solution when compared to some of the Chinese offerings.

The other issue is of course the room you are planning to use as a "studio". You need enough space to give yourself shooting distance, suitable background as well as a ceiling that is high enough so that you can place the lights properly.

[GaryMarsh]

Hi GrumpyDiver

Thanks for going to great lengths to fill me in on the use of Nikon CLS system lots of tips and good advice much appreciated and thanks to all those who took the trouble to help me out.

Kind regards
Gary

[GaryMarsh]

Hi Dave,
Thank you for your help it is much appreciated.